Can you teach a subject that is your minor at the university/college level?

Question

I want to get a Ph.D in English with a minor degree in biology, with an emphasis on marine biology. Would it be possible to teach biology/marine biology or would I need to acquire a separate degree? Also, what else could I do with a minor in biology?

Answer 1

I think you have things reversed. If what you want to do is teach biology, then study biology and minor in English. It is hard to get a job in biology at the college level without that PhD, in part because scientific post-graduate degrees involve research and teaching in the field. As far as what else you could do, I would have to be creative, as in say working at a general-interest magazine writing about biology. Do what you love - passion is required for success at the level you are talking about. The rest will take care of itself.

Answer 2

Do you mean teaching biology in high school? In some states you'll need a masters in biology. Some places you get a biology teaching certificate, but most places will require some biology major at least.

There are shortages of teachers, so you might be hired to teach biology in some third world country or something. Of course, it wouldn't pay well. Biology is a popular subject, and where living conditions and pay is right, someone with better qualifications than a minor is likely to fill the post.

also, there are no minors at the PhD level. You only minor at a Bachelors.

If you majored in physics or chemistry and minored in biology, that would be a different story. science is science, and English is humanities. a different species or genre, depending on which way you look at it.